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Astronaut of Apollo 11, Buzz Aldrin Visiting Nepal

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GadgetByte

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August 28, 2016

Astronaut of Apollo 11, Buzz Aldrin Visiting Nepal

On the invitation of Everest Science Center (ESC) of Sitagunj, Sunsari, Buzz Aldrin who was one of the first two humans to land on the Moon and the second person to walk on it is arriving in Nepal on September 4. We all think this moment is going to be historic and especially who are interested in Astronomy and Selenography don’t want to miss it.

Dilip Adhikari, Chairperson of ESC Nepal, said that Aldrin finally accepted to come to Nepal after six months of request. Adhikari also added that Aldrin is visiting Nepal with his son Dr. Andy Aldrin, his daughter-in-law Maurine Aldrin, Mission Control Director of Buzz Aldrin Inc., Christina Korp, the Payload Manager of Lockheed Martin, Mr. Joseph Lablanc and the Configuration Management Specialist of Orion, Mrs. Elizabeth Leblanc.

Astronaut Aldrin with his entourage will land in Kathmandu on Sunday, September 4 and enjoy the mountain flight on the following day. According to the source, they are also planning to visit Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Gautama Buddha. And the source also confirmed that they would stay in Nepal for five days.

The main event will be held from 6^th-8^th September. Aldrin will share his experience to the people on 6^th Sept. of landing on the moon at ESC from 1 PM – 3:30 PM. ESC Nepal has expected more than 5000 people will attend the presentation. Also, ESC Nepal has managed to telecast the presentation program by five different television channels so that millions of people could watch. Buzz Aldrin, (age 86) will also hold the interactive discussion on 7^th and 8^th September in Nepal Academy Hall (Nepal Pragya Bhawan). “He will also discuss the possibility of human settlement on Mars”, said Adhikari. The discussion and interactive session will start from 1:30 PM (NST) and the price of the ticket is also allocated. Finally, the team will depart from Nepal on 9^th September.

5 Must Have Apps for Rooted Android Devices

GadgetByte

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August 27, 2016

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5 Must Have Apps for Rooted Android Devices

In our previous article, we discussed the ways of rooting Android devices. The article won’t become complete if we don’t discuss the must-have apps after rooting Android devices. That is why today we present our dearest readers and gadgets users five must have apps for rooted Android devices.

Xposed Framework [Price: Free]

It is one of the best root apps for Android for customizing the device to the fullest without installing custom ROMs. This app is all about theming, performance, tweaks, remapping, and UI customization inside app but you have to look the modules that are compatible with your device.

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Lucky Patcher [Price: Free]

If you have been using Android for a long time, you might have heard about Lucky Patcher. After using this app everyone can enjoy the various tweaks like Remove Ads, Remove License Verification and so on. If you find others, please do comment below.

GravityBox [Price: Free]

One of my favorites, it allows us to tweak Lock screen, Status bar and Navigation bar. Not only these it has various other facilities like transparency management, general fixes display tweaks, power tweaks and the list goes on.

BusyBox [Price: Free]

BusyBox unlocks the many advanced root features. Those root features include better control and management of the Android device. It is simply a set of tools and libraries, used to support running various Linux commands on Android device.

Greenify [Price: Free / $2.99]

If your phone/device does not have nice battery backup, then you be sure to use Greenify. It improves the Android device battery life pretty amazingly. As we know that Greenify also works with unrooted device but there are many limitations in that. Undoubtedly being the best Android root app, it hibernates the background running apps to save the battery life.

There are many others best root apps like Adblock Plus, ES File Explorer, ROM Manager, Tasker, Xposed Status Text and so on. But we’ll be discussing those in coming days.

Top 7 Android 7.0 Nougat Features You Should Know about

Android
Apps

GadgetByte

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August 27, 2016

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Top 7 Android 7.0 Nougat Features You Should Know about

Google released the final version of Android 7.0 Nougat this week, a couple of months earlier than what they did in previous years. This, however, was expected as Google started rolling out the beta version of Nougat a few months ago. This final version is same as the final development preview, i.e. Developer Preview 5. Google device such as the Nexus phones, Android One and Pixel C have already started to receive the Over the Air (OTA). Surprisingly, LG V20 will be the first smartphone with Android 7.0 out of the box rather than a Nexus phone.

In Android 7.0 Nougat, plenty of new features are added. In this post, I’m going to make a list of top new features that android 7.0 has introduced to the smartphone world. Please note that these features are not in any order.

Direct reply and Notification handling

There are some changes in the notification panel. Firstly, from now on, you can reply to any message from the notification shade without opening the app. This is available for all the third-party apps.

Likewise, the bundling of notifications has become easier as all notifications from one single app get bundled together. These apps can be expanded when needed by using the drop down expansion button or the two-finger gesture. Also, you can prioritize or disable apps notifications from the notification shade itself.

Split screen multitasking

It’s finally here! Google has finally introduced the split-screen multitasking into stock android. For those of you who don’t know, what you can do with this function is that you can use two apps at once and can run/use two apps at the same time, side by side. Phones like Samsung and LG have had this function for quite some time now and Google has finally decided to add this feature now. Although it can only be used in few apps at present, developers will certainly come up with this feature in the near future.

Instant app opening

This is one of the best features about android 7.0. You can open any app by opening its link. Go to Google.com, search something, open the link, and you’ll get the app version of the site. No downloads needed and no need to buy it. It is truly a game changer. But since 7.0 just came out, it’ll take some time for developers to make use of this feature in their apps.

Virtual reality

Google is planning big in the Virtual Reality world with Android 7.0 Nougat. The project, known as Daydream, is a platform where third-party manufacturers build a VR headset while Google works in the software department. Google has not explained how it expects its hardware partners in the project are going to work but as we all know, Daydream will need specific requirements like special screen and sensors.

New added emojis

Not a major feature, but it is still fun. Google has added 72 new emojis to thousands of current emojis. Texting has never been this easy.

Quick Switch between apps

This feature can really come in handy when you’re multitasking. You can now switch between the app that you used recently by tapping the overview button twice.

Doze feature to save battery

Google had added the doze feature in Android 6.0 Marshmallow for battery’s longevity. In Nougat, it has significantly improved this feature. In Marshmallow, whenever a phone is kept on a flat surface, the phone would automatically go into doze mode to save battery life. In Nougat, doze mode can now work even when you have your phone in your pocket, i.e. when you’re on the move. The phone gets into doze mode when you lock your phone.

Everything You Need To Know About Rooting an Android Device

GadgetByte

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August 26, 2016

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Everything You Need To Know About Rooting an Android Device

Hello our dearest technology lovers, we are so happy to tell you that from today we are introducing a separate column “HOW TO.” In this column, we typically shade some light on the how to get maximum from your gadget. So today we are starting with rooting an Android device.

First thing first you should be familiar with the various terms before actually rooting your Android device. In simple language rooting an Android device overcome the limitations of the hardware which in result allow us to alter the system apps and setting. Rooting is the process of allowing users of mobiles, tablets and other similar devices running the Android mobile operating system to attain privileged control (known as root access) over various Android subsystems. We all know Android uses Linux Kernel, rooting allows us to give administrative privileges (superuser) like in Linux or Unix Systems like free BSD.

We will tell you how to root your android device but before that let’s dig the meaning of most used terms-

ROM: A ROM is a modified version of Android. It may contain extra features, a different look, speed enhancements, better performance, or even a version of Android that hasn’t been released for your phone yet.
Stock: From context to context, “Stock” may mean different. We mean the Google-built version if we say “Stock Android” which we find on Nexus devices, with no extra UI changes as in HTC (i.e. HTCSense) or Samsung (i.e TouchWiz). Many ROMs found these days are based on stock Android with additions like CyanogenMod, while some others are based on the version that came with your device when you bought it. In some cases, “Stock” can also mean the original version of Android that came at time when you bought your phone-e.g., if you want to return back to your factory setting and get rid of your ROM you might say you’re “going back to stock.”
Kernel: A kernel is the component of your operating system that makes communication between your software and hardware and it actually plays a role of a mediator. We can find a lot of custom kernels out there for most phones, and you check out one for your device, many of which can and increase performance, speed up your phone and increase your battery life among other things. We have to be very careful with kernels because sometimes it can cause serious problems and sometimes it can even brick your device.
Flash: Flashing means installing something in a device which may be ROM, or Kernel or even a recovery that comes in the form of a ZIP file format.
Brick: There is always a risk (sometimes it may be small sometimes you just don’t know) with flashing and device gets stuck unable to function that is, it means you have bricked your device. And this problem even can be solved or is fixable.
Bootloader: The lowest level of software on a phone, running all the code that’s necessary to start your operating system is the bootloader. Most bootloaders come locked, meaning you can’t flash custom recoveries or ROMs.
Recovery: The recovery is the software on a phone that is used to make backups, and perform other system-level tasks. The default recovery on your phone is limited and can’t do much, but you can flash a custom recovery available-like ClockworkMod or TWRP, which is pretty much done after you’ve unlocked your bootloader that will exceed the limits and give you more control over your device. This is often an integral part of the rooting process.

Hope you all are familiar with some common but most used terms and now we actually move onto the process of rooting. Everybody need to do a few things to prepare phone/device for rooting, depending on which method to use. Many of the ways require you to install the Android SDK or unlock your bootloader and the methods varies according to the models of Android devices. This sounds like a lot of scary work (if you want more information on this, please do write us) so we here discuss some of the commercial apps available to root your Android devices.

Using the commercial Root Apps:

Kingo Root:

Using commercial rooting apps like Kingo Root is straightforward, and can be done with or without a computer. But the sad this is that this app can’t root every phone.

Kingo Root can be installed in computer and if you’re using a computer with Kingo Root, you’ll need to have the USB drivers installed on the computer. If you don’t have them don’t worry, the Kingo Root will try to locate and install. Then plug your phone into the computer and start the application and click the button saying “root” in the software. As long as your phone is supported, the rest is automatic. As soon as the process completes, you’ll have super user unlocked. You can even root by installing the Kingo Root on your device and following the instructions and “VOILA” and now you are the superuser.

Towelroot:

It is an app developed by famous iPhone hacker Geohot. Using it is easy, the first download this application, install the app and run it by tapping the Lambda symbol in the middle of the app window. What it does is it will try to exploit the running kernel, giving temporary access to the system files of the device. Then correct files are automatically installed then the device will reboot, and you’re rooted.

This is the screenshot of the rooted android mobile.

[socialpoll id=”2383627″ path=”/polls/2383627″]

There are many other similar root apps like Farmaroot which is one click root. Now you are wondering what to do, for it you have to check our website for the next article where we are going to write about “Must Have Apps for Rooted Android Devices” and don’t worry Apple fans we are also covering topic on “Jailbreaking iOS devices” very soon.

Dell Launches Inspiron 13 5000 and Inspiron 15 5000 in Nepal

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August 26, 2016

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Dell Launches Inspiron 13 5000 and Inspiron 15 5000 in Nepal

Dell has launched two new laptops under the Inspiron series on Wednesday. According to Dell, the devices, Inspiron 13 5000 2-in-1 and Inspiron 15 5000 laptops, have been targeted to students, entrepreneurs, and families looking for affordable devices. These laptops consist of wide range of processor options and different features which will help the users for a lot of their works. The company has claimed that the new Inspiron 13 5000 2-in-1s come with multiple features such as infrared camera, SSD, and backlit keyboard while the Inspiron 15 5000 laptops are beautifully designed for a wide variety of options and occasions.

In the event, Ahad Haq, Country Manager, Rest of Asia Pacific (ROAP) said,

“With our new Inspiron devices, customers can work where they need to and play when they want to. Whatever you can create or imagine, you can achieve it with the Inspiron laptop best suited to your needs. Dell is thrilled that our innovative technology can help make your creation a reality. Our customers inspire us, and we keep on innovating for them.”

New additions to the award-winning line of devices, these devices speak innovation. They continue the trend set by Dell of providing their customers with feature-packed devices that sport amazing displays with crisp audio, all in a low, unmatched price.

Here’s all you need to know about the newly unveiled devices.

Inspiron 13 5000 2-in-1
The Inspiron 13 5000 2-in-1 sports a sleek looking new design that is packed with great features such as the Windows Hello facial recognition where the users can easily unlock their devices just by looking at the infrared camera. Dell has claimed the device to have plenty of features with easy-to-use options.

The device comes with a wide angle 13″ Full HD display, a true-life LED-Backlit Touch Display. A 16GB of dual channel DDR4 memory is ideal for the multi-taskers. The Inspiron 13 5000 2-in-1 also has a backlit keyboard option which is very helpful when working in poorly lit environments.

Inspiron 15 5000

Embracing a beautiful design, the Inspiron 15 5000 series laptops feature an order of latest processor options which will surely deliver a snappy performance. The device features a beautiful, bright and colorful 15″ Full HD display perfect for personal usage and entertainment purpose.

Like in the Inspiron 13 5000 2-in-1, the Inspiron 15 5000 also supports Windows Hello feature but is only available on the 15” FHD touch Intel®/AMD models. The Intel® version also offers TrueColor, a feature that has made the display twice as vibrant and more life-like. The devices are sleek and attractive with a glossy finish. They are available in three different colors which include White, Black and Fog Grey. Dell has promised to make both the devices available in Nepal in the coming months. Their prices have not been revealed.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Unveiled with Helio X20

Xiaomi

GadgetByte

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August 25, 2016

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Unveiled with Helio X20

Xiaomi is no new name to us. It is one of the biggest smartphone manufacturers even after entering the market as early as five years ago. Xiaomi phones are quite popular in Nepal, and the Redmi Note 3 is one of the best selling smartphones in Nepal as well as all over the world. Earlier today, Xiaomi has unveiled the new iteration of the beloved Note series, the Redmi Note 4 which sports premium design, upgraded hardware and most importantly, an affordable price tag.

Redmi Note 4 comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD screen with no protection mentioned. It sports the same unibody metal design like its predecessor but now comes with a brushed metal finish. Most of the design aesthetics look similar to the Redmi Note 3. The phone is 9 gms heavier than its predecessor maybe because of the slightly bigger battery.

The phone is powered by MediaTek Helio X20 Deca-Core Chipset clocked at 2.1GHz, so no wonder this phone will be a beast when it comes to performance. Like the Redmi Note 3, the base version comes with 16GB ROM and 2GB of RAM and the higher variant comes with 3GB RAM and 64GB ROM which is an upgrade from 32GB on its forerunner. Redmi Note 4 also comes with color options of Silver, Gold and Dark Grey.

Talking about the Camera, Redmi Note 4 comes with 13MP Rear Camera and 5MP front facing Camera. The camera is not Redmi Note’s forte, but let’s hope it turns out well on this one. The phone unveiled today is the Chinese variant, we can expect a Global Variant with a Snapdragon Chipset. We’ll most probably see the Redmi Note 4 in Nepal only after the release of Global Version.

Redmi Note 4 Specifications:

5.5 inches (1080 x 1920) @401ppi
MIUI 8 on top of Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Mediatek MT6797 Helio X20 Chipset
Deca-core 2.1 GHz CPU
Mali-T880 MP4 GPU
16GB/64GB Internal Storage, Expandable up to 256GB
2GB/3GB RAM
13 MP Rear Camera with f/2.0, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED Flash
5MP Front Facing Camera
Fingerprint Sensor
Fast Charging
Non-removable Li-Po 4100 mAh battery

The base version is priced at $135 and the higher variant is priced at $180.

Six Useful Android Apps You Probably Don’t Know About

GadgetByte

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August 25, 2016

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Six Useful Android Apps You Probably Don’t Know About

Android is an open operating system. Lately, the app numbers have increased rapidly giving us choices in each and every category. There are thousands of useful apps in Google Play Store. In this article, I have made a list of six apps that people in Nepal are mostly unaware about but might find really useful. These apps provide tons of facilities and a worthwhile android experience.

AmpMe

Ever regretted not bringing a speaker when going out with your friends? AmpMe is a perfect solution to this problem. What it basically does is connect a number of devices so that you can play something from your music library, Youtube or even SoundCloud, all at the same time on multiple speakers. Create a ‘party’, connect your phones to it, and then you’re good to go. This might sound gimmicky, but if you’re out somewhere with no speaker, this app can come in handy. The only downside of this app is that you’ll need to connect to a wireless network to use it. And yes, it works on iOS devices too.

Evernote

Evernote has been one of the best note makings and notes managing apps around for a while. Its simplistic design and vast functions are useful in every means. You can make a simple text note or a handwritten note, take pictures and even make notes by including attachments. Evernote even allows you to share your notes. There’s even a chat function when you’re co-writing something with your friends. Seriously, making notes has never been this easy.

Gravity Gestures

Everyone likes the chop-chop gesture in a Moto phone or the double tap to wake in OnePlus phone. But most of the phones people use still lack those features. The app Gravity Gesture is a perfect fit in these devices. You can use four kinds of gestures to open an app, to make a call, to control the volume or to toggle torch. There are various other functions you can do just by rotating your phone in different directions or by shaking it, giving you more control over what the gestures do.

IFTTT

IF is an app like Tasker. It lets you automate various functions just like tasker. This app was previously known as IFTTT (If this then that) which basically tells us all about the app. In this app, you create recipes where you’re basically filling in the blanks in the statement ‘If ___ then ___’ where you can add thousands of conditions. One example is, ‘If any new photo, post a tweet with the image’. What this function does then tweets the new image you have just taken. I use it for notification purpose on various stuffs I need to know. You can even make the light in your house flicker if something happens (such as when your favorite team scores a goal).

Pocket

You come across an article about your favorite football club or a blog by a famous person just when you were about to do something important. There might not always be time to read those articles. Pocket helps you in this situation by saving links for offline reading. Just drop the link you want to read later in the app and you’re good. It is similar to saving pages on browsers, but this app does a much better job.

Zedge

Wondering around the internet looking for the perfect wallpaper for your phone? Zedge is the perfect solution to your problem. Consisting of tens of thousands of amazing wallpapers, the contents of the wallpaper vary from anime, designs, and logos, to nature and sports. In an instant, you can find wallpapers related to almost every field. [Awesome Batman wallpapers btw!] You can also change your icon packs, download ringtones and notification sounds from this app.

So this list basically consisted of some apps I think we Nepalis don’t usually install on our android smartphones. Do you know any apps like these? Don’t forget to comment.

Samsung Introduces New Dashain Offer! (Everything you need to know)

Samsung

GadgetByte

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August 25, 2016

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Samsung Introduces New Dashain Offer! (Everything you need to know)

Samsung is the biggest smartphone brand in Nepal and with Dashain just around the corner, they couldn’t just let it skip without a big celebration like they do every year. So this year, Samsung has announced: “हरेक दिन लखपती ” Dashain offer where each day for 40 consecutive days one lucky buyer will win a cash price of “1 Lakh Rupees.”

But that’s not it, what’s so festive about just letting one person win on such an auspicious occasion? So, Samsung has got other gifts installed for this offer, like the Samsung Galaxy Gear S2, Samsung Level U sports earphone, and Samsung Level Box Bluetooth speaker for three winners every single day!

Dashain is when most of us buy that good tech stuff, with companies offering discounted price on most of the products. We haven’t seen any price offs from Samsung, but it won’t be long before they announce it.

So to participate in this Dashain offer, all you have to do is:

Buy a new Samsung Smartphone
SMS the serial number of your phone
And wait for your Luck to Shine!

If you don’t exactly know what you’re getting, here are few details of the products:

Samsung Gear S2:

Galaxy Gear S2 is a Tizen OS based smartwatch. Unlike Android, Tizen has its UI and set of features. The Gear S2 syncs well with you Samsung device making it easier to check SMS, Calls, and notifications on the go. If you happen to be health conscious, you can track your steps, measure your heart rate and health reminders to drink water or stand up if you’re lazy for too long. The body comes in both stainless steel and rigid plastic. Typical of Samsung you get Super AMOLED 1.2inch screen with 302 ppi with Always ON Display. Also, the watch is IP68 water and dust resistant and has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Protection, making it one heck of a tough smartwatch.

The body comes in both stainless steel and rigid plastic. Typical of Samsung you get Super AMOLED 1.2inch screen with 302 ppi with Always ON Display. Also, the watch is IP68 water and dust resistant and has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Protection, making it one heck of a tough smartwatch.

It is powered by Exynos 3250 Dual Core 1Ghz CPU along with Mali 400 MP2 GPU and comes with 512MB of RAM. It has 4GB inbuilt storage. It sports sensors like Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate, barometer, ambient light. You get SVoice and wireless charging to name even more features. It is backed up by 250mAH battery which Samsung promises to last two days.This watch is both functionally and ergonomically pleasing.

The Price for the Samsung Galaxy Gear S2 is Rs.34,500.

Samsung Level U Bluetooth Earphones:

If you are someone who moves or works out a lot and at the same time listen to a lot of music, Samsung Level U earphone is the answer for you. This Bluetooth headset is ergonomically designed to go around your neck to comfortably hold it in place. It features large 12mm speaker and dual-mic noise reduction to ensure quality sound. It gives 10 hours of music playback.

Samsung Level Box Bluetooth Speaker:

Samsung Level Box Bluetooth Speakers come with aptX which Samsung claims to deliver near CD-like quality audio from Bluetooth. It is easily one of the high-end portable Bluetooth speakers you can find in the market. You have the option of 3.5mm headphone and USB port for convenience. It is also NFC enabled. You get 15hours of playback with 2,000hours of standby time and it takes 2.5 hours to fully charge.

Apple’s September 2016 Event: What to Expect?

Apple
iOS

GadgetByte

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August 25, 2016

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Apple’s September 2016 Event: What to Expect?

Alright everyone tighten your seatbelt as we are a few weeks away from Apple’s Special Event. We all know Apple typically introduces iPhone in September. Apple is widely expected to debut the iPhone 7 (name may vary) at the upcoming September Special Event to be held on 30^th Sept. as revealed by Barbara Streisand after she had spoken to Apple CEO, Tim Cook. The murmurs and rumors of new iPhone had already started even before the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) held on June 13, 2016. Today we will go through the expectations and sum up all those rumors and information about what Apple might announce during its keynote.

Great Confusion- When’s an event?

According to Bloomberg, Apple will reportedly unveil its next iPhone on 7^th September but Barbra Streisand (a famous actress who recently called Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook complaining about the pronunciation made by Siri), said Event will be held on 30^th September. The well-known phone-leaker Evan Blass also supported Bloomberg. And we also think 7^th Sept. would be the right date if we go through those past events. If Apple does have an event that day, it’ll also be the final day of IFA 2016 in Berlin and all people will have their attention only for Apple Special Event, but it’ll have to compete with Sony’s PlayStation event, where we expect to hear more about the upgraded PlayStation 4 console and the rumors says it’s going to support 4K games (this will be the entire next article).

APPLE’S SEPTEMBER 2016 EVENT: WHAT TO EXPECT

iPhone 7/ iPhone 7Plus/ iPhone 7 Pro:

In September 2015, Apple introduced two models of iPhone (iPhone 6S and 6S Plus) followed by a smaller model, iPhone SE in March 2016. And September has always been a great month for Apple and its fans, it is more likely that Apple will reveal a new model of iPhone (probably they are going to name it iPhone 7) and every year the design is speculated by the fans and the Apple users. Talking about the specifications/features, we just don’t know yet but we in this section deals with all the rumors going around the world. The coming iPhone 7 is going to drop the headphone jack and also include a new home button with haptic feedback, and it will look a lot like the 6S. For a completely redesigned iPhone, we have to wait for some months. There has also been the talk of an iPhone 7 Pro which is thought to have better photo-taking capabilities – like a dual-camera setup.

In Weibo (Chinese Microblogging Website which is used by 30% of internet users and it is hybrid of Facebook and Twitter), the following photo (down below) is gaining popularity. MacRumors reported that the antenna bands across the rear will apparently be moved to the top, while the camera lens will sit flush rather than protrude as it does currently. Now we don’t know much about every specification. We will update about everything in the next article.

iOS 10

iOS 10 was unveiled at WWDC earlier this year and since then it has released several beta builds (Oh my god beta 10 is already out) to both developers and the public, giving us a good idea of what to expect from the final software. We all are waiting for the final release of it and of course what could be a better time than the September Event. So be in position for the final update which we all have been waiting since June. The new iOS will support a number of new features designed to enhance an iPhone even more beyond what the company launched in iOS 9 last year. The biggest update as claimed by Apple, there will be at least 10 major features, including a HomeKit Home app as well as changes to Siri (Siri is expected to have major change), the lock screen, and photos. We will update our readers about the every feature on next article.

iPad Pro

Last year, Apple combined what would normally be two events into one giant event. At the event, it announced the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus alongside 12.9-inch iPad Pro on one day and a 9.7-inch version was unveiled months later. Apple may again do that same thing, no one but they know it.

However, according to noted analyst Ming- Chi Kuo, Apple will refresh its iPad lineup in 2017, with three new iPads which may range from 9.7 inches to 12.9 inches. According to him, Apple plans to introduce a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro model next year which go along with a 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2 as well as low-cost 9.7-inch iPad model. Apple will keep its September event focused only on iPhone if Kuo is right and more than this even we could not say. But of course, don’t forget we are here to update you if any leaks happen.

MacBook Pro

We all are a bit disappointed at WWDC earlier this year as we didn’t see any update in MacBook Pro beside MacOS. At WWDC 2016, everyone thought Apple was going to update its MacBook Pro line but Apple did not give any sign of it that time. Now the world is expecting refreshed models to come out this autumn instead. We know there are two sizes of MacBook Pro: a 13-inch model that was last updated in March 2015, and updated in May 2015 was a 15-inch model. So, nobody can imagine Apple is going two full years without rolling out MacBook Pro models. Also, the Apple fans have not imagined it and they are really taking this to heart.

Rumors suggest that the new ones are on the way and are ready to burst and capture the market. What’s more, the upcoming laptops won’t have faster processors and even they won’t have thinner bodies, which we all pretty much expect. They are heavily tipped to feature an OLED touch panel and a Touch ID sensor in their keyboards which may be embedded.

However, Bloomberg reported in earlier this month that the new computer will be a no-show at Apple’s upcoming September Event. So sad Apple fans but don’t worry as the event is approaching near and till then what can we do besides hoping, waiting and watching. And don’t forget we are here to update on each and every leaks, murmurs, rumors, and information.

Galaxy J2 2016 Review: Is it Worth it?

Yural Maskey

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August 24, 2016

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Samsung’s latest midrange phone, the Galaxy J2 2016, is here. If offers substantial improvements over its predecessor, but with the increasing competition from Chinese and Indian manufacturers in a midrange price segment, can the Galaxy J2 2016 Edition live up to its hype? Let’s find out in our review:

Disclaimer: We tested a retail version of the Samsung J2 2016 provided by Samsung Mobiles Nepal for the purpose of this review. We used it for about 2 weeks before gathering our impressions, and then we sent it back.

Design:

The design of the Galaxy J2 is nothing to write home about. It features the same all plastic design and looks similar to other midrange handsets from Samsung. Although made up of plastic, it’s ergonomic and feels sturdier in the hands.

It’s light weight and one hand operation is very easy thanks to its compact form factor. What I also like about Samsung Phones is the inclusion of a decent Home button that serves you well while using the phone. Double tap it and the camera app opens which is one of the quickest ways to take photos. The back and multitasking capacitive buttons are also very responsive, but unlike seen on the high-end phones, these are not backlit.

Display:

Samsung has been a pioneer in the display department. They make the best smartphone displays. The Galaxy J2 sports a 5-inch HD display with AMOLED panel. At this price, this is the best display we have ever tested. The IPS panel of other handsets is a no match in front of the vibrant, oversaturated 720P display of J2. The sunlight legibility and viewing angles are also stellar for the price. Samsung has not included any kind of protection, so make sure you insert a tempered glass that will prevent the phone from scratches and drops.

Software:

The J2 2016 runs on the latest Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with touch wiz UI layered on top. What we have learned from Samsung in the last couple of year is they have worked really hard in improving the UI by excluding a lot of bloatware and make the UI clean and minimal.

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Performance:

The J2 2016 boasts a 1.5Ghz quad-core cortex A7 processor (Spreadtrum SC8830) with 1.5GB of RAM. It features a Turbo Speed Technology (TST) which the company claims will result in superior device performance. On our test, the 32 bit Cortex A7 Processor performed fairly well while doing normal tasks like chatting, browsing, and navigating through UI. However, the outdated 32-bit Speadtrum processor means you sacrifice while playing games, opening apps, and multitasking. Although low-end to mid-end games are playable, but you will see lags and drop frame rates most of the time. That being said, it’s a budget phone so we can’t expect more from the device. In terms of memory, the Galaxy J2 has 8GB of inbuilt storage (3.6 GB available to users). Since most of the storage is being used by the OS, you will soon run out of storage

Camera:

The 8MP rear camera of the J2 2016 is pretty average. It can capture “Okay” photos during daylight with vibrant colors, but the details is not there once you zoom in the photos. The low light imaging, as well as indoor imaging, is below par with lots of noise. The 5MP front camera is decent for taking selfies and for social media uploads.

Connectivity & Sensors:

The Galaxy J2 2016 comes with 2 SIM slot with 4G LTE. Other connectivity options include Wi-Fi b/g/n (no dual band ac), Bluetooth 4.1, and GPS. It includes a Smart Glow LED’s on the back which is a nice feature, but not practical and gimmicky at best. Samsung Galaxy J2 also lacks few basic sensors like ambient light sensor, gyro sensor, and a secondary noise-canceling microphone.

Battery:

The Galaxy J2 2016 offers a sizeable 2600mAh battery which is user replaceable. On our battery test, it provided 3.5 to 4.5 hours of on screen time, which means it should last you a whole working day. It lacks quick charge technology which means it will take roughly around 2 hours to charge from 0 to 100%.

While most of the phones don’t have access to the battery, the J2 2016 offers a removable battery. So, if you are a power hungry user, you could easily get an extra battery for around Rs. 1500 and enjoy the benefits.

Conclusion:

The competition of midrange smartphone is getting fierce as there are lots of smartphones under Rs. 20,000 to choose from. The Galaxy J2 2016 offers great AMOLED display, ergonomic design, and a good selfie camera. But, the phone lags behind the competitors in other aspects like the performance, rear camera, and sensors. If you are don’t play high-end games, use a smartphone mostly for chatting and browsing, like to take a lot of selfies, value brand, after sales service and availability of accessories, and need a removable battery, the Galaxy J2 2016 would be an excellent choice.

Pros	Cons
– Excellent Super AMOLED display (bright, vibrant 720P display)	– Sluggish Gaming Performance (Spreadtrum 32bit chipset is not favorable for gaming and heavy multitasking)
– Feature pack UI (S bike mode, Ultra data saving mode, Smart Glow App)	– Low internal storage (Out of 8GB onboard storage, 3.6GB is only available to the user)
– Battery Life (4 hours of onscreen time)	– Average Camera (The camera lack in details and can only record videos in 720P)